


9 signs of friendship

by PatriaAba



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Academy Era, Character Development, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-04-11 16:31:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19113502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PatriaAba/pseuds/PatriaAba
Summary: 9 signs of friendship:• being able to be yourself• intimacy• walking the way together• honesty• loyalty• trust• forgiveness• being there• freedomA series of nine short stories that focus on the friendship of James T. Kirk and Leonard McCoy.





	1. Being able to be yourself

**Author's Note:**

> Hi fellow readers!
> 
> So I tried my hand at Star Trek fiction again after reading an article about developing of friendships.
> 
> This will be a series focusing on the friendship of James T. Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy since I adore those two. The stories will take place in various points of time, from Academy to Enterprise era and will involve other characters from the crew.
> 
> I'll look forward to suggestions and comments, I hope you enjoy!

9 signs of friendship:  
• being able to be yourself  
• intimacy  
• walking the way together  
• honesty  
• loyalty  
• trust  
• forgiveness  
• being there  
• freedom  
______________________________

I. Being able to be yourself

They made quite the pair on their way to Starfleet academy. One looked like a college drop-out, the other like an alcoholic. It was no big suprise they felt at ease there in their shared misery.

"Should I ask how the other one looks?" the grumpy non-alcoholic asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Huh?" was the coherent reply by the non-college-dropout.

McCoy pointed in the general direction of the other man's face and explained, "Your eye. It looks like someone did a good number on your face."

"Oh, that." Kirk reached for his swollen under eye area and looked at his seat neighbor, "Thanks for asking but I had the upper hand."

"Of course," the other man agreed sarcastically. There was a short silence in which he studied the bruised face besides him and suggested it's owner, "You should get a doctor have a look at this mess."

"I'm good, thanks. Besides, I'm not that fond of doctors," the blonde deflected which resulted in McCoy smirking knowingly.

"What?" he implored puzzled before it dawned on him, "You're not a doctor, are you?" 

"I am," he confirmed amused and cut Kirk off as he saw him opening his mouth to explain himself, "It's alright, I take no offense. Not always having a fan club is part of my profession you know."

"I can imagine," Kirk said and smiled at him, "And since I look like I do at the moment, I won't judge a book by it's cover."

The doctor raised both eyebrows at that, "Wow, so generous of you. Let us hope the other's are as sensible. I can imagine we make quite the impression." And that was an understatement. In comparison to the other cadets they stuck out like sore thumbs.

"We sure do, but on the other hand we do look like a pair of badasses, don't you think?" Kirk asked him thoughtfully.

"Oh, I'm sure that's exactly what others think about us," McCoy dead-panned.

"You're quite a sarcastic fellow, aren't you?"

"Naw, I'm just a guy who has seen a lot of things."

That made the bruised man shake his head in amusement, "Oh my god Bones, how old are you? Don't talk like that or people will think you're some wannabe Clint Eastwood."

"What did you just say?" the doctor inquired with a frown.

"Ehm, Clint Eastwood? He was famous in the 21st century for-"

"No not- you think I don't know who Clint Eastwood is? What is wrong with you? I meant, what did you just call me?" he requested incrediously.

"Oh Bones? I figured it fits you! With you being a doctor and you know, having 'nothing left but ma bones'." The last part was mimicked in a poor imitation of a southern drawl and made a vein pop at the doctor's temple.

"Yeah I see, don't call me that kid, it's weird." 

"I think it suits you and don't call me kid, old man. You can call me Jim." the blonde offered with an easy smile.

Maybe it was because of his frayed nerves or maybe this kid's smile was just that infecting but miraciously McCoy found himself smiling in return, "Alright Jim, just drop the weird nicknames."

"Mhm we'll see," Jim offered unconvincingly and looked around at the other cadets. "Hey, do you know if we get to choose our lodgings?" he addressed the doctor again after a short pause.

McCoy turned to him and shook his head in wonder, "Have you informed yourself at all before entlisting?"

Jim shrugged at that. "It was quite the spontaneous decision," he explained.

"I can imagine," the southern man dead-panned before he carried on, "Well, usually we'll be signed up with our roomate or -mates, depending on the size of our housing and that's that."

"Oh alright," the blonde answered and added with some excitement "Wouldn't it be awesome if we would end up as roomates, though?"

"Nothing would bring me more happiness," McCoy added drily.

His companion just laughed at that, "Aren't you a ball of joy, Bones."

"Didn't I just tell you-" the doctor began when he was interrupted by the shuttle speakers announcing their landing.

"Huh, we're already there?" he asked amazed while Jim just winked at him and unbuckled himself, "Time flies by in the right company."

They packed their stuff and made their way down after the shuttle landed. People already gathered around the supervisors to be lead to the campus and it became more and more crowded around them.

Jim shoulderd his bag and turned to the doctor, "Hey Bones, before we get lost in the masses do you wanna exchange numbers so we can hang out sometime?"

"Yeah sure Jim, sounds good," McCoy agreed and they exchanged their numbers.

After that they went their seperate ways as each of them was called up by the supervisors to get their housing assigned and as it turned out, they were not assigned to the same appartement. Jim felt a little bit dissapointed but made plans to drag Bones to some bar as a compensation.

It was some time later as McCoy was in the middle of unpacking when his pad beeped with a new message.

"Hey bones, wanna go for a drink? There's a sweet bar just down the campus. Jim." it read and he groaned. 

He was exhaustedly eyeing his mattress longing to sleep for the next twelve hours but then again, Jim really helped distract him on their flight and for that he was grateful, so he found himself answering, "Sure, where and when? Leonard." He added his name in hope it would trigger Jim into dropping that absurd nickname for him.

"Awesome. Meet me at starfleet cafe 7pm, bones ;-)" came the fast reply and McCoy sighed. Well, it was worth a try.

"See you there." He replied and continued his unpacking.

It was nearing 7 pm and Jim was standing in front of the Café looking at all the new faces strolling by. He felt a rush of excitement he hadn't felt in a long time. The kind of rush you feel when a new chapter in your life is beginning to unfold.

"Hey Jim," McCoy greeted as he rounded the corner to meet him. Both of them had changed into some fresh jeans and shirts in an effort to look not as wasted as they did some hours ago.

"Oh Bones, hey! How's your apartement and roommate?" he asked and they made their way down the campus.

"It seems like medical cadets have single lodgings, so lucky me," he said happily as they strolled along.

Jim paused dramitically before he began walking again. "What! Are you serious? That's not fair!" he exclaimed unbelievingly.

"Sucks to be you I guess." McCoy shrugged without a trace of sympathy.

"You suck," the blonde informed him. "Why are you allowed to stay by yourself and I have to share rooms with 'Kevin'?" he complained.

"Oh come on, it could be worse. How is your roomate?" McCoy asked curiously.

"Kevin is alright. We talked a bit, he's moved here from Korea some weeks ago and seems quite nice, but still not fair. And I hoped we would end up sharing rooms," he pouted.

"A shame really," the doctor agreed drily.

"Ah don't worry, we can still hang out together in your single apartement," he assured him with a wink.

"Yeah, let's see about that," McCoy grumbled.

"Ah, we're here," Jim announced as they stopped in front of a rather shabby looking bar.

The other man looked at the blinking neon lights and run down facade skeptically. "Are you sure? This looks like it has been closed for some years now."

"Don't act like a princess now, Bones. I'm sure it has charme and I was told they have cheap beer," Jim told him over his shoulder as he went ahead into the bar.

"If you say so," he grumbled as he followed him inside. 

The atmosphere was dim and stuffy. People were sitting here and there in small groups sipping their drinks and smoking. They seated themselves at the corner of the bar and each ordered a beer. 

"Woah easy there, thirsty much Bones?" Jim asked his companion amused as he watched him gulping down half of his beer gratefully.

"Shut up Jim, it's been a long day," McCoy grunted while the blonde laughed and took a long gulp himself in answer.

"No, it's alright. I'm amazed how you held up after your near-breakdown in the shuttle." It was kind of impressing considering the man had been close to starting a fight with the female flight attendant in his panic before they took off.

"The hell you mean, I did not nearly break down, I was just concerned and rightfully so," McCoy insisted.

"Sure, whatever you say Bones," he relented with an easy smile while peeling off the wet paper on his bottle.

The doctor smirked, "Nevertheless, thank you Jim."

Jim drew his eyebrows together and threw a questioning look at the doctor, "For what?"

"For keeping myself grounded with your annoying way of distraction," McCoy explained and as he thought back, he had to admit that his steady presence helped a great deal.

"Wow, I'm not sure if I should feel flattered or insulted," Jim confessed, amazed by Bones' bluntness once again.

"Just feel flattered," he advised him before continuing earnestly, "honestly, I appreciated it."

"Great, I'll do that then," the blonde informed him with a smile and McCoy smiled in return.

"Good. Want another one?" he asked while shaking his now empty bottle.

"Yeah sure. Like I told you the beer is nice and cheap, even though it's not near the standard you're used to, princess," Jim joked smugly. 

The doctor snorted and raised two fingers slightly to get the barkeepers attention. He ordered two more bottles and a bowl of potato chips for some electrolyte intake.

"So you told me it was quite the spontaneous decision to join, so what made you do it?" Bones asked him curiously after they were served again.

Jim looked down at his hands holding his beer and thought for a moment before addressing the other man, "Well, I told you it was spontaneous and it was. I guess I was sick of living my life like I did. Always strolling around and starting things and giving them up just shortly after. I caused a lot of trouble recently and it has been a long time since someone believed in me. Myself included. So after I was basically told to get my shit together I just thought, yeah, there's more for me out there and I can do it, you know?" 

McCoy took that in and felt a sudden rush of companionship for the man beside him. Yes, he could understand his reasoning all too well and he gave him a small smile, "Yeah, I get you. Same applies to me I guess. Except, as I told you, I already had a life built and planned out for me. But as it turned out it wasn't fit for me or the other way around, who knows. Yeah, I think there is a chance for a different life for me too."

Suprised by this openness, Jim raised his bottle in front of them and proclaimed proudly, "To new beginnings, then." 

"To new beginnings," McCoy agreed good-naturedly as they clinked the necks of their bottles together. 

They each sipped on their drinks when they picked up the on-going chattering of a small group of cadets behind them. It felt like they were talking about one of them and Bones concentrated on picking up bits of the conversation.

"Are you sure that's him?"

"Yeah man, I swear. And you know what? I heard he was born on the exact moment his father bit the dust."

"Oh man, that's hard. I guess he want's to follow his father's footsteps now."

"Probably. I just wonder if he'll get any special treatmant because of this?"

McCoy winced as he risked a glance to his left and saw Jim tightly gripping his bottle while clenching his jaw.

"Don't listen to them, Jim. They're idiots, who cares," he told him quietly.

Jim was brought out of his angered stupor and looked at the doctor, suprised at the soft gaze he saw there. It was nice but at the same time he felt his stomach clench a bit.

"It's okay, I don't need the pity," he told him flatly because he really did not need another person pitying him for something that seems to overshadow his whole life.

The doctor gave a short snort of laughter at that, "Good, 'cause I wasn't offering any. The past is past and people will always talk. What happened to your father sucks but that alone should not determine who you are."

Jim raised his eyebrows and looked in suprise at the doctor and inquiered, "So you know, I mean you know that my father-"

"How slow do you think I am?" McCoy interrupted mock-annoyed and sighed, "Yes I know it, you told me your name and since I do know some basic Starfleet history I made the connection."

"And you don't care? Or why didn't you say something?" he asked genuinely puzzled.

McCoy raised an eyebrow and looked into his curious eyes. "Why should I care? If you want to talk about it, sure I care but otherwise," here he shrugged, "I guess all of us have a fucked up past in some way or another. No reason in bringing that stuff up again," he finished and took a big swig of his beer.

Still feeling somewhat baffled, Jim felt his lips turn upwars slightly. He took a small sip of his beer himself before smiling at his drinking companion, "You know Bones, you may seem like a grouchy old man but I can tell you're really just a big softie."

The doctor rolled his eyes at that and smirked, "Yeah sure, don't let it get to your head. And you don't have to act tough when the dad topic drops or talk about things you don't want to, just, I don't know, do what you feel comfortable with." 

"Yeah sure and like I said, a big softie," Jim told him amused and got an unamused glare in return.

After that they fell into easy conversation once more and ordered round after round until the bar closed.

In the end they did spent their first night on campus as roommates thanks to Jim blacking out on Bones' couch after rambling on about him becoming captain and dragging him along on his ship ("Sure Jim, when hell freezes over") and both felt like it was a good start for a new beginning.


	2. Intimacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes captains get restless too. Set one evening at the beginning of the 5-year mission.

II. Intimacy 

"Captain's log, stardate 2260.320, our current location is Castell quadrant phi with our expected destination arrival at the uncharted planet temporarily designated Castell phi I in 27.5 hours. The senior officers meeting has been set to tomorrow 0900 hours where we will discuss the planets classification and further proceedings. Captain out." 

With those words he closed his log, stretched his arms and rose from his seat. He looked over to the trusted blackhead who just finished reporting on duty. "Mr. Sulu, you have the conn. Keep her steady and inform me if there are any deviations," he ordered his helmsman.

"Aye, Captain," Sulu acknowledged confidently as he took over.

Gamma shift was about to start and he made his way to the turbolift, where his science officer was awaiting him. 

"Captain," the Vulcan greeted him formally.

"Mr. Spock," he nodded. "Will you retire to your quarters as well?" he asked as both entered the lift. He was exhausted but his mind was still racing in anticipation of their new destination. They had started on their deep space mission a few months ago but the excitement still hasn't settled yet. This day has made him feel especially restless. Maybe a quick game of chess was just the thing right now to soothe his mind before returning to his quarters.

"Not yet, Captain. I will first make a detour to the science departement to analyse our current readings regarding Castell phi I's outer atmosphere, they are quite fascinating," Spock informed him. The captain smirked, leave it to Spock to spend his night like this after a double shift.

He stiffled a yawn before addressing Spock again, "And here I thought I could tempt you to a quick game of chess before heading to bed."

The Vulcan turned his head to one side as he regarded his human friend. "As much as I enjoy your attempts to outwin me, Jim-" he began and was interrupted by an indignant snort, "I must advise you to rest for tonight, it 'has been a long day' as you would phrase it."

Jim smiled ruefully, feeling slightly dissapointed. Well, there went the prospect of a quick game. "I think you're right, Spock. I can still beat you tomorrow I guess," he relented which caused the science officer to raise his eyebrow.

"Indeed," Spock agreed unimpressed as the lift came to a halt. "Take care and have a good rest, Jim," he told his captain as he stepped off heading to the science area.

"You too, Spock," Jim returned and ordered the lift to take him to his quarters. He exited and wondered what to do now, not feeling like resting just yet. Well, he could of course seek out his favourite grumpy doctor but he knew Bones planned to go over some health reports this evening.

'But maybe he's finished already? Wouldn't hurt to check I guess,' he thought to himself and made his way to the doctor's quarters.

He stood in front of Bones' door after his calls got unanswered and pondered what to do next. Maybe he should just call it a night? Then again, he really wasn't ready to sleep just yet. He hesitated just a moment before entering the door code (they have always known their door codes since academy times) and entered the dark room.

"Lights sixty percent," he ordered and took in his best friends living space. It looked as neat as always. 

'Huh, looks like he is still down in Medbay,' he thought while circling around in the main room, taking in medical journals and magazines, picking up an apple from the fruit basket and biting in it absent-mindedly. His feet took him to the sleeping area where his gaze locked on a familiar photo on the wall.

It was a picture of Bones and him taken many years ago on their first summer vacation in the academy. It showed two man sitting in shorts on a low stone wall, the ocean shining in the distance. Both of them wearing sunglasses and grinning like idiots. It was one week after they had finished the last exams of the semester. 'Simple times,' he recalled, fondly smiling.

He stepped away from the picture, setting the apple aside to sit down heavily on the edge of the bed. Times now weren't as simple, the stress of passing exams a distant echo. Now stress meant being diplomatic, seeking out new civilizations and having responsibility over hundreds of lives every day. But times were infinitely more exciting too and he had the best crew to spend those times with. The blonde gave a heavy sigh and threw himself back on the soft mattress. He closed his eyes, thinking about his ship and his people. 'I hope I'll never stop being grateful,' he thought wistfully.

He was close to falling asleep right then and now when he heard the entrance door opening and the familiar steps of a certain doctor. Turning his head he saw said man frowning (probably wondering why his lights were on) and putting down his bag on the main desk. 

"Hullo Bones," he called lazily from his position on the bed and watched in amusement as the doctor jumped up in alarm.

"Jim! What the-," Bones swore as turned around and took in his best friend lying there on his bed, "the hell are you doing here?" he finished disbelievingly.

Jim just shrugged in return, "I wanted to see how you are and since you weren't there I thought I'll just wait for you." Simple logic.

The other man looked at his captain speechlessly, gazing to the half eaten apple on his nightstand and back to the bed. "So what? You entered without permission and thought about replaying a modern version of Snow White?" he asked sarcastically while moving over to him.

Jim chuckled tiredly and looked up in the disgruntled face of his best friend, "If I'm Snow White then you're Grumpy the dwarf."

Bones just rolled his eyes at him. "Good to see your stunning humour hasn't left you when you're tired," he observed and wandered over to his drawer.

"You know me, I'm always funny," he informed his friend and sat up slowly, turning his stiff head from left to right, "I just wasn't ready to sleep before but I guess I'll better head to my room now," he mumbled.

"Don't bother. Just put on some clean clothes before lying on my bed, you're disgusting," the doctor grunted and threw an old t-shirt plus sweats at the blonde's head, who caught them just in time and smiled.

"All bark and no bite," Jim called over his shoulder as he made his way to the bathroom to change, ignoring the names he was called in response. Maybe he could lie down on Bones' couch for a few minutes he wondered longingly.

When he returned he saw Bones sitting on his desk chair, which he has moved to the bed to cross his legs on the edge. He was holding his PADD in one hand typing away on it with the other.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" he asked the grumpy man as he moved to the bed.

Bones looked up from his PADD, "Naw, you can lie down for a bit, I still have to write my report and order the crew physicals anyway," he told him and Jim didn't need to be told twice as he threw himself on the bed happily.

"Lights 15 percent," the older man ordered, picking up his report as Jim closed his eyes once more while letting the tapping sounds lull him to sleep.

It was nearly 3 am when he woke some time later and threw a quick glance at the chronometer. Rolling over to his left he could see Bones lying on his couch bundled up in a light blanket, snoring softly. Jim smiled fondly and watched him for a moment before lying down and closing his eyes again. 'I'll never stop being grateful for this', he swore to himself and let sleep claim him once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy! Please leave some comments or kudos (or both) :)


	3. Walking the way together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Chekov and McCoy try their hand at spelunking and Jim is able to repay a favour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will be a bit more adventurous for a change (a bit haha)
> 
> Time setting: between the 1st and 2nd movie
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

III. Walking the way together

"Well, I've walked on smoother terrain to be honest," McCoy complained as he nearly lost his balance on the rocky ground for what felt like the hundreth time.

"Da, dis rock formation reminds me of karst mountains in Russia," the young navigator agreed while scanning their surroundings and running a hand over his sweaty forehead.

Xenero Vita's sun was shining down without mercy and the rays reflecting on the uneven white stone surface made both man sweat in their long uniforms. They received a distress call the day before, a local research team was missing two of their geologists. Upon arrival they met the remaining researchers and set up search teams to scan the surrounding area.

Chekov and McCoy started not long ago but the heat already gave them a hard time. 

"Don't forget to drink, Chekov. You have to keep yourself hydrated in this dry air," the doctor called over his shoulder.

"Da, doctor," the young man answered sheepishly and grabbed a bottle from his holster, drinking the water gratefully.

McCoy came to a halt and put his hands on his hips, squinting at the other man in the bright light, "Have we picked up anything yet?"

"Njet, but Mr. Spock told us that ze area has a massive chain of underground caves. We might not be able to pick up their signs if they decided to explore there," Chekov informed him and wiped some water from his mouth while McCoy sighed. As if one of their missions would ever run this easily.

Looking around, McCoy saw nothing but endless rocky flats and barren plant life. "Alright, I guess we could return for now to meet up with the others. Maybe they picked up more-," the older man began when he saw something on their left, "wait, do you see that?" he asked and strode over to kneel beside a black mark on the ground not far away. 

"See what?" the navigator asked and made his way over to his crouching comrade. There on the ground were small black circles around some mineral inclusions. They looked like they were drawn with a marker. "Uh doctor, I zink our missing geologists could have done dat!" Chekov informed the other one excited.

"Yeah, that's what I think," McCoy agreed while straightening up from his kneeling position. He put one hand over his eyes to look around. "Well, they're obviously not here anymore, we should better inform the others for nooaaahhh-" he began and took a step backwards when the ground suddenly gave in under his weight, making him fall into the dark.

"Doctor!" the young man yelled in horror as he watched his shipmate vanishing into the ground.

"Argh, dammit," the doctor swore after he hit the rocky ground. He somehow made it to land on his right side in the fall and turned back to sit up slowly. Looking up he could see the daylight some meters above where the ground had opened up. His side ached all over but other than that he got off lightly it seemed. 'Small blessings,' he thought exasperated and saw a shadow moving at the opening above.

"Doctor McCoy, are you alright?!" his shipmate called into the dark.

"Yes, I'm okay!" he called up to him and his eyes widened when he saw debris loosening at the edge. "Pavel, watch the ground-" he began to warn but it was to late. The unstable ground broke in completely and the young navigator toppled over before he could do anything else.

"Ow fuck!" McCoy yelled out after a heavy weight hit his legs. He closed his eyes in pain and took in nearby swearing in Russian. The younger man scrambled off of him and took out his flash light to shine it on his shipmate.

"Doctor, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" he asked the doctor fearfully, whose face was scrunched up in discomfort. 

"Damn Chekov, now I'm not anymore," he grunted and put one hand behind him to sit up once more. He felt a stinging pain in his left foot. Trying to roll his ankle made him grit his teeth and he gingerly prodded the already swelling area around the jolt. 'Yep, definetely sprained but not broken at least," he thought to himself and looked over to the navigator, "Chekov, are you hurt? Did you hit your head?"

"Njet, luckily I didn't land dat hard," the young man reassured him.

"Good, could you get me my medical bag?" McCoy grunted while rolling up the ends of his trousers.

"Da, doctor," Chekov told him eagerly and went over to the medical bag that was lying discarded on the ground.

"Thanks," he muttered as he was handed his bag and began to bandage his ankle and apply a hypo against the pain and swelling. After he was done he looked up and saw the young Russian eyeing him guiltily.

"Now Chekov, it's alright. Nothing I can't fix in a second once we're outta here. Now help me up, would ya?" he told him gently and held up a hand, which the young man took.

"Alright, I'm still sorry doctor," he murmered quietly while helping the other to his feet. 

"It's alright, kid. Can we contact the others?" McCoy asked hopefully, shifting to ease his weigth from his left foot.

Chekov took out his communicator and frowned in dismay. "I'm afraid not, ze surrounding rock composition is too dense to get a clear signal," he told the doctor, who sighed heavily in response.

Taking out his other device, the navigator began to scan their surroundings. "It looks like we're in one side arm of the karst caves and," he turned ahead "it seems there's passage that leads to a bigger part this way," he informed the older man and frowned when he saw something peculiar in the scanner's reading. "Huh doctor, the scanner picks up two life-signs in about one kilometer distance," he said and saw the other man's eyes light up in revelation.

"Could be the missing researchers?" McCoy asked him hopefully.

"Da, I zink so," he agreed in excitement. "Are you able to move, doctor?"

The doctor tested holding his weight on the hurt ankle and addressed the other man, "I think with your support I could manage." Chekov nodded and moved McCoy's left arm over his shoulder and they began their slow walk along the dark passage.

Chekov glanced over to the other man as they shuffled along and felt his stomache clench. He was still feeling bad to have caused the doctor this injury. "Are you in much pain, doctor?" he asked in a small voice.

McCoy looked at the distraught Russian and smiled at him reassuringly, "Not at all, don't worry. Thank god for analgesic hypos." 

"Da, doctor. I'm glad you keep all those hypos with you," he answered with a small smile and McCoy gave a short suprised chuckle.

"I think you're the first one to ever say that. You can tell that the captain when we're out of here," the doctor joked amused.

As they came closer to the signals they could pick up the sound of murmering in the distance.

"Do you hear dat, doctor?" Chekov whispered to his right.

"Yeah, I do," the doctor whispered back and when they turned right at the next corner, the beam of the flash light illuminated the startled faces of two humans huddled together on the ground. A dark-haired woman was sitting cross-leged on the ground, the head of her partner lying in her lap. The man was looking a bit worse for wear, his face pale with tired eyes and a dried up cut along his forehead. Both of them wore local research uniforms and seemed relieved to have been found.

"Hello you two, we're from Starfleet and the crew of USS Enterprise has been looking for you. I am Doctor McCoy and this is my colleague Mr. Chekov," he introduced them politely and Chekov nodded in greeting.

"Oh thank heavens," the dark-haired woman breathed, "we've broken through a dolomite cleft and couldn't move forward since my colleague Sergio hit his head pretty badly," she indicated to the man lying in her lap, who smiled up at them tiredly, "I'm Alicia by the way."

They moved closer to the pair and the doctor let himself on the ground with some difficulty. "Yes, we also made an unintentional detour downwards but don't worry, first let me check you over and then we can think about the rest," he reassured them while opening his medical bag.

"Thank you, we've tried to communicate with our team after we broke through but it seemed they were too far away and the connection too weak," Alicia explained as she watched the doctor appliyng a hypo on her teammate's neck while murmering soft reassuring words to him.

"Oh, let me check. Maybe our communicators will get a connection there," Chekov said and went over to the small cleft at the cave ceiling where the two had fallen through.

He increased the range on his comm and watched in joy when it cranked to life with an incoming signal, "Mr. Chekov! Can.. me? ..you two?" a small voice came through and Chekov raised the device to get a better connection.

"Keptin!" he called out relieved and carried on, "we've broken through ze ground not far from where we are now. But we found ze geologists here underground."

"Very good, Mr. Chekov. How are they? And what's the report on Doctor McCoy's status?" their captain asked him worriedly.

Chekov looked over to the others and saw Sergio sitting against the cave wall with a bandage around his upper head, sipping on some water while Alicia was checked over by the doctor. "They are mostly unharmed, one of them hurt his head but ze doctor took care of them just now. Doctor McCoy unfortunately hurt his ankle but is otherwise okay," he assured his captain who sighed relieved.

"Understood Mr. Chekov, we've locked onto your position. There's a natural opening to this cave system not far away but we'll have to make a small detour since the ground is so unstable. You stay were you are until we arrive and inform me if anything changes," the captain ordered his navigator.

"Aye, Keptin," Chekov complied and closed the line. 

"Well, that's good news," McCoy offered relieved and addressed the two geologists, "Sergio you have a light concussion and both of you are exhausted but everything will be okay once the others reach us. For now it's best to sit tight and wait."

Both researchers thanked them gratefully and the young navigator moved over to sit down beside the doctor. It wasn't too long when they heard footsteps echoing from the dark pathway and they all sat up straighter in anticipation. Just a moment later the beam of a flash light shone directly in their faces.

"Hello? We came to rescue you, are you alright?" the strong voice of the captain called out, who was leading the small rescue team.

"Ouch Jim, please don't blind us in the process," the doctor grumbled while he shielded his eyes against the artificial light.

"Bones!" was the relieved exclamation and in an instant he crouched down beside the grumpy man, laying a hand on his shoulder, "Are you alright?"

"Just peachy," McCoy deadpanned and the blonde looked at the other faces in the round. "Mr. Chekov, it's good to see you," he addressed the young Russian who smiled in return. "And you too, I'm Captain Kirk from the USS Enterprise and we," he nodded at the group including Spock, Nurse Kaya and two of their research colleagues, "will get you out of here now," he told the two geologists confidently and moved to a standing position.

The two researchers moved forward to their colleagues on the ground and with the help of Nurse Kaya moved Sergio on the stretcher they had carried with them. 

McCoy looked over at his Vulcan officer and friend. "Nice of you to join the party, Mr. Spock," he joked and the science officer looked up from the scanner he was holding, raising one eyebrow.

"Indeed doctor, since I have studied those cave massives it was only logical to join the rescue party to offer my assistance," he concluded logically while McCoy rolled his eyes in response.

"Okay now," Jim exclaimed and cut off the retort his CMO would have given his science officer "let us return to the entrance, a transporter is waiting and will take us back to the facility." 

They stood up, McCoy with the help of Chekov offering his hands, and made to set out. The navigator was about to move the doctors arm over his shoulder again when the captain cut in.

"It's alright, I got him," he assured the young man and took McCoy's arm over his shoulder. "Alright everybody, let's get going," he ordered and they started their way out of the cave. 

While they shuffled along, Jim looked down on his friend's foot and chuckled. "You know, this reminds me of the one time I got so plastered I fell down the stairs and you had to carry me back to my room," he recalled, obviously amused while the dark-haired man scowled at him.

"Don't remind me, Jim. I thought you broke your neck that night. And if that was the only time I had to carry your sorry ass around," he complained with mock-annoyance, though he was smiling himself.

"Ah so you thought it was my turn to repay the favour, I see," Jim proclaimed and grinned to himself.

"Yes exactly, that's why I decided to fall backwards into a dark hole and play cushion for Chekov," he answered sarcastically while the other just laughed.

At the end of the passage they could already see the daylight shining in and McCoy sighed in relief. He turned to his left when he heard Jim chuckle again. "What?" he asked him while raising his eyebrow.

"Oh nothing, I just thought that it's my turn now to be carried around again," Jim explained cheerily.

"Yeah, next time you can crawl your way back for all I care," he huffed unamused, which just made the blonde laugh in response. They each knew it was a lie as they exited the cave together.


	4. Honesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even doctors need help from time to time when they feel out of place.
> 
> A look at one spring afternoon in the boy's academy time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a short story focusing on those two men. This time we take a look at how precious it can be to have someone to share your thoughts and worries with.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

IV. Honesty

Students were cheerfully walking around the campus, enjoying one of the first warm spring days of the year and one particular med student was lying in his dorm bed, one arm drapped over his eyes to shield himself from the sun. His Xenobiology II book was drapped lazily on his stomach. Their third semester midterms were nearing and he planned to spend the rest of the afternoon studying.

McCoy sighed and lifted his arm from his head. Sitting up he looked down in his lap with tired eyes, lost in thought. Passing laughter from below his window made him glance down at a group of young cadets strolling along the sideway. He felt out of place lately, today especially.

He was snapped out of his brooding when his door banged open and the unnanounced presence of his best friend entered the room. Honestly, he wasn't suprised anymore.

"Aloha Bones, guess which awesome person brought you your favourite beer?" Jim announced cheerfully, stepping into his friends dorm room and placing the bag with beer cans on his desk. "Wow, what happened to you? You look awful," the blonde observed as he took in the sorry form of his best friend on the bed.

"Thanks, you always had a special way with words," McCoy retorted sarcastically and moved over to the bag to peek inside. "Cool, thanks Jim. And it's nothing, I'm just tired," he deflected.

"Uh-huh," Jim retorted and frowned when a thought hit him. "How was your flight control lesson? It was today, right?" he asked carefully.

The older man went over to his table and sat down heavily, his chin resting in his palm. "Oh it was great, for once I managed to actually take off without major errors and everything went just splendidly until, you know, I lost control and crashed to the ground," he recounted and burried his face into his hands while Jim felt his stomache clench.

"Hey, at least you managed to take off this time," the blonde joked, trying to lighten the mood but the other man just shook his head in his hands.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Jim. I don't know why I'm even here. I hate this," was the muttered reply.

It made his heart ache watching his best friend like this. Bones was visiting an aviophobia support group every second week and improvement happened in small steps but he knew his friend had a hard time. He took a look at his watch and made up a plan.

"Okay Bones, enough with this pity party. Get up now, we've got a shuttle bus to catch," he told him merrily.

Bones looked up and raised a quizzical eyebrow at his friend, "What?"

"You heard me, get up. I brought beer and it will turn warm if you laze around. Let's go outside where you can complain to me while drinking, alright?" he suggested, grabbing the plastic bag from the desk and looking at his friend expectantly.

He was long since used to his best friend's eccentric self and stood up. "Alright Jim, just let me grab a Tee first," he agreed and changed into a plain T-shirt.

"Great, let's go!" Jim proclaimed excitedly, leaving the room while Bones grumbled and followed after him. They made their way down the campus to the shuttle area where they entered one of the local buses.

"So you mind telling me where we're going exactly?" Bones asked after he seated himself beside his friend.

Jim just looked over to him and smiled, "You'll see it when we get there. It's a spot I like going to when I have to think about stuff and need some me-time."

"A-ha," the other man replied non-plussed.

"Just be patient, Bones," he told him, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "Ah, have I told you what happened last Wednesday and why Kevin forbid me to ever do his laundry again?" Jim added amused, while suppresing his laughter.

With that they fell into some easy conversation until they've reached their final destination at one of the more vacant hills surrounding San Francisco. The sun was already standing pretty low and produced a golden light around the city.

They stepped off the bus and Bones looked around confused. "The hell are we doing up here? Are we really going hiking just to drink some beer?" he asked his friend skeptically.

"Over here, trust me, it's worth it," Jim grinned, wandering over to a small path leading uphill through some pine trees.

"If you say so," the doctor grumbled under his breath and followed the other man into the plantlife. It took them a few minutes until they've reached the end, where the trees became sparse and a small clearing at the edge of a deep drop presented itself.

"Wow, what a view," Jim breathed while stepping to the edge of the 40 meters deep cliff. From up here they could see the overgrown hills with San Francisco shining in the soft light of dusk. It was amazing.

Bones entered the clearing, his eyes growing wide at the scene in front of him. The wind was mild and refreshing on his skin. "Woah Jim, how come I've never been here before?" he asked his friend who sat down a good distance in front of the drop.

The blonde just shrugged and patted the ground on his right. "Wanna join me here?" he asked the older man with a smile instead.

"Not particularly," Bones answered, eyeing the drop in front of them anxiously.

Jim took out one can from the bag, wiggling his eyebrows and the older man sighed in return and seated himself down beside his friend.

"You would do anything for beer, right Bones?" the blonde laughed amused while the other opened the can and took a grateful gulp.

"Shut up, Jim," he told him with a smile and continued to sip his beer. Shaking his head, Jim took one can out himself and began sipping as well while looking to the distant city. It always made him feel humbled when he was sitting up here. 

They both sat there in companionable silence and let the wind cool their heads. Jim looked over to his friend, who was looking at the horizon with relaxed eyes. He was one of the only ones who got to see the doctor like this, not like his usually grumpy self but actually calm and at ease with the world. It made him feel honoured in a way to see this side of him.

Looking down at his hands holding the can, the blonde decided to address the metaphorical elephant in the room. "You know, no one expects you to become a professional aviator overnight," he told his friend gently.

Shaking his head the other man looked at his friend. "It's not that Jim, I just feel like I'm not right here. What am I doing in Starfleet? How can I operate here when I nearly freak out just thinking about leaving the ground," he asked the other one miserably, who looked at him with sad eyes. "Bones-," he began to disagree but was interrupted by a heavy sigh.

"Let's face the facts, I don't fit here," was the frustrated reply.

"That's not true and you know it," Jim told him earnestly, "I've seen you when you're in doctor mode. You'll get all focused and determined like a grumpy bear with his cubs," he explained, which made the other man scoff. "I know when it comes down to it, you could operate as a doctor anywhere because your patients' health is all you care about and that's what makes you such a good doctor," he finished with such an honest conviction it made the older man look to the ground.

It moved him to hear those words from his best friend, especially since he was generally wary of doctors. "I don't know, Jim," he murmered, shaking his head.

"Okay, you know what," Jim began as he stood up, walking over to the drop in front of them and Bones felt his heart speed up at the sight of his best friend staying there at the edge of the cliff. "Jim-," he said warningly but the blonde grinned at him reassuringly.

"You see this," Jim began, spreading his arms "you can take a fall anywhere. It doesn't matter if you're in space or here on earth. It lies in your power to keep yourself up and I know you can do it." Seeing that his friend was still eyeing him doubtfully, he added heartfelt "I'll be honest with you, Bones. I have not a single doubt that you will overcome your fear of flying. And I don't say this because I want you out there with me-,"

Here he was interrupted by Bones huffing amused and raising one eyebrow.

"Okay, but it's not the only reason," he relented, "I just know what kind of person you are. Joining Starfleet with your aviophobia was brave to begin with and that's what you are. You got me and together we can overcome this too, okay?" 

Bones looked up at his best friend, taking in his confident posture and sincere eyes. In moments like this he could see the captain James T. Kirk would become and he smiled at him.  
"You can be damn persuasive if you want to, you know that?" he told him with mock-annoyance.

"So I've been told," the blonde returned smugly, obviously relieved to have reached his friend.

"Can we go now? I swear, I've gained at least thirty new grey hairs seeing you standing there," Bones said while glancing at the cliff uneasily.

Jim shook his head as he moved over to his friend to help him up. "Sure, we wouldn't want you to turn completely grey, old man," he joked in amusement, which earned him a playful slap over his head. 

"This reminds me, have I told you of the one time I nearly fell down a cliff when I stole my uncle's car?" Jim called over his shoulder, as he strolled over to the path leading downhill and the other man groaned.

"You know, I'm amazed you're still alive sometimes," was the exasperated reply as both men vanished down the path into the trees, the sun setting over the Golden City.

Many months later, when a distress call from Vulcan reached the Fleet, McCoy found himself turning his back on his best friend to join his colleagues on the ship. He stopped and swore, closing his eyes. Moving back to the lost man, he grabbed his shoulder to drag him along. 

'I couldn't just leave you there, looking all pathetic,' is what he told him but McCoy had to be honest with himself too. He was never planning to head out without him in the first place.


	5. Loyalty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birthdays can suck. Sometimes they don't.
> 
> A quick look at James T. Kirk's first birthday in the academy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> Here's a short story focusing on how sometimes friends just know what's best for you.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

V. Loyalty

The wonderful thing about running is the blissful absence of any active thoughts. Just him, lap after lap with his fast beating heart, focus lying only on the track ahead. His trusted doctor would argue he was being obsessive but if he knew how he used to spent his former birthdays, he would agree with this being a healthy alternative.

The 22nd of March has always been a dreaded day for James T. Kirk. It marked his father's death for him and thus being a day not worth celebrating. It was his first birthday here in the academy with him still feeling the same way and he had told Bones as much when his friend had asked him if he wanted to go out for some drinks to celebrate.

He knew Bones' research team wanted to toast to their published junior paper and he'd urged him to join his colleagues. Initially the older man had grumbled about it being not right to spend his birthday alone but after assuring him a fifth time that he prefered it this way, he had given in. It was better this way.

The afternoon was nearly over when he came to a halt after finishing one more round. He rested his hands on his knees, breathing heavily and started walking to his locker room in a slow pace to cool down. After he took a quick shower, he began to pack his things and raised his eyebrows when he saw a message from Captain Pike on his PADD.

'Jim, meet me at 6pm in front of Bethe lecture hall. C. Pike,' it read and Jim swore when he saw it was already five before six. 

Running again, he left the sports ground and just managed to reach the meeting point in time, where Captain Pike was already waiting. When he saw Jim nearing he smiled warmly at him.

"Ah Jim, I'm glad you could make it. I wasn't sure you would come since my request was so sudden," the older man said while offering his right hand. 

Jim took it gladly and returned the firm handshake. "Yes Sir, I'm sorry. I was at the training ground and only just read your message and came here right away," he rushed out while the other man shook his head.

"It's alright, son. You made it and that's good since I wanted to show you something. Come on," he explained and waved after him while walking away into the direction of Bethe community park.

"Oh alright, what's that Sir?" he asked curiously while strolling along.

Pike glanced sideways at him with a look in his eyes. "You'll see it soon enough," the captain told him and carried on with a different topic, "I've heard you scored top results in all your current curses and I must say, I'm really proud to see the direction you're heading in."

Hearing those words, Jim felt his cheeks flushing red. He wasn't used to others openly praising him. While he was honest enough with himself to admit that he was sometimes more than confident about his abilities, it was nice to hear some acknowledgement from time to time. Especially when it came from someone he was looking up to.

"I just try my best, Sir," he deflected sheepishly while looking at the ground.

"I can certainly see that. It makes your three year plan seem just a bit less megalomaniac," the older man teased but was still showing his obvious pride underneath.

"Heh, I would call it realistic ambition," he returned cockily after the embarresment had settled a bit and the older man laughed amused.

"Keep it up, cadet," Pike offered good-naturedly and came to a halt in front of a ebony statue shining in the light of dusk. It was a tall plate standing on a stony pedestal. 

'Those who lay their life down,  
For the now and for the coming,  
Shall be kept in our hearts,' the plate read in golden letters.

Jim looked at the memorial and felt his heart ache at the familiar inscription. Glancing over at the younger man, Pike asked in a gentle voice, "I take it you've been here before?"

"Yes Sir," was the quiet reply.

"I see. Then you know that this is Starfleet's memorial to thank all of those who lost their life for their responsibility in line of duty. Just like your father, who lost his life for his crew," the older man explained while glancing at the memorial in reverence and Jim kept watching it silently, too.

"Those words still ring true. I've known your father and he, I'm sure you've been told many times, was an exceptional captain and human being altogether. And when I look at you, I can see those things too. I see someone capable of great things, in your own way," he finished earnestly and Jims breath caught, not knowing how to respond to those heartfelt words.

Seeing that the young man was speechless, Pike laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Just keep on giving your best, alright son?" he adviced him gently.

"Yes, I'll do that, thank you Sir," the blonde nodded, overwhelmed once more.

Giving a satisfied nod, the older man broke the moment by clapping Jim on the shoulder. "Good. I'll be going now and you'll better celebrate your birthday now, cadet," he mock-ordered and stepped away. 

"Aye, thank you, Sir," Jim repeated once more as the older man smiled and strode away the way they came from, leaving him there lost in thought.

He stood there a moment longer until the form of his mentor vanished from sight and then moved back to his dorm. Closing the door after him, he took in the empty rooms of his appartement with a sigh. Kevin was spending the weekend with his family so he had the space for himself. 

There was this nagging part in him that yearned to go and lash out, just to distract him, but he silenced that part relatively quickly. It was different now that he had others believing in him and he didn't want to disappoint anyone anymore.

Figuring he would spend the rest of the evening here, he changed into his favourite sweats and sat down in front of the TV with a quickly prepared meal. He was in the middle of some mindless action movie when he heard someone ringing at his door. A quick glance at his chrono told him it was shortly after eight and he frowned.

Opening the door presented him with the sight of his best friend, who smiled and was holding a bag. "Bones," the blonde exclaimed suprised. "I thought you were out with your colleagues?"

The doctor shook his head and sidestepped into his room. "Nah, I told them I had something more important to do," he called over his shoulder as he placed the bag on the table and sat down. 

"Bones-," Jim moaned a bit frustrated. "I thought I told you I'd rather spend the day alone. Besides, you shouldn't have cancelled your meetup for me," he complained while joining him at the table.

"Bullshit Jim, I figured a quick visit wouldn't hurt. Besides-," he began in a sing-song voice, taking out a bottle from the bag and presenting it to his friend.

Jim raised his eyebrows and reached over, glancing at the date on the label. "Wow, this is some fine stuff, Bones," he observed in awe.

Bones just nodded approvingly and moved to get some glasses. "Only the best of the best," he told him proudly and placed a glass in front of him as Jim smiled the first real smile since he arrived here.

"I know you wanted to spend the day by yourself and I get that you don't feel like celebrating. But still, we could just make a quick toast," the older man suggested and poured each of them some of the amber liquid.

"I guess we could do that," Jim murmered in a small voice and raised his glass in front of them. 

"Oh wait just a moment-," Bones cut in when a thought hit him, getting another glass to place in front of them and pouring in some whiskey while the blonde looked at him questioningly.

"Might as well honour your old man too, if we're at it," he explained quietly and caught the blonde's eyes softening.

They clinked their glasses on the one standing on the table and then proceeded to clink theirs. "Happy birthday Jim," Bones wished him earnestly and the young man acknowledged it with a small smile.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Jim asked his friend after sipping the whiskey appreciatively. 

"Yeah sure, whatever the birthday boy wants," Bones agreed and they sat down on the couch, each content in the other's company.

Jim glanced to his right and felt a rush of gratefulness for the man beside him. "You know," he began quietly, "I'm glad you decided to come over tonight." He really hoped his friend understood how much he appreciated his presence.

Bones looked into the grateful blue eyes next to him and patted their owner's knee with a knowing smile. "I know Jim, you don't have to tell me," he assured him gently and turned his head back to the screen in front of them.

So they continued watching the movie together, with Bones grumbling here and there when a dramatic scene was shown ('Oh come on, that's not the way you do chest compressions, dear Lord..').

As far as birthdays went, this one was far different but the best one in a long time and turning his focus back to the screen, he decided he might give his future birthdays a chance.


	6. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Uhura and McCoy experience a night to remember and for once, it's not Jim's fault.
> 
> Set a short time after James T. Kirk gets promoted to Captain of the Enterprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> This short story is quite a long one and I really enjoyed writing it. I figured I wanted some Uhura and McCoy friendship time as well. This is the result.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

VI. Trust

Leonard McCoy could grumble all day about the many hazards of outer space but even he had to admit that Planina Yas was stunning. With its many clear lakes and its warm climate it represented a popular destination for many species of the federation. The small class M planet was located near the Rigel system and inhabitated the humanoid species of the Pharren. Like the Rigelians they had flat noses and prominent cheekbones with a much darker skin complexion.

Four years ago they had founded the United PYF Trade Agreement with the United Federation of Planets and today marked the public celebration of this anniversary. It was one of the first big performances of James T. Kirk as the captain of the USS Enterprise. Against all of McCoy's apprehensions, the celebration dinner with the head of state went over board smoothly. Who would have guessed?

So it was in the late evening when most of the crew of the Enterprise found themselves in Arbasses, the biggest club in the metropol of Planina Yas where they got invited to celebrate. It was a huge multistoried complex with different dancefloors, lounge areas and bars. Humans, Andorians, Orions and many more appreciated the location for the free-and-easy lifestyle it offered.

"What a dream, Bones," the young captain sighed with a smile. He and his CMO were standing at the main bar eyeing the joyful people dancing and celebrating in front of them. "I mean, in comparison to that, earth's clubs are pathetic," he appreciated and turned over to his friend, who raised his eyebrow skeptically. 

"Sure Jim, could you please do me a favour and not cause too much trouble tonight," the grumpy doctor pleaded and Jim rolled his eyes.

"You wound me, Bones. Do you have so little trust in your captain?" the blonde asked him theatrically with a hand placed over his heart and the other man snorted.

"Cut the dramatics. And it's not that I don't trust you, Jim, but you're a natural trouble magnet. It's almost ridiculous," he complained.

His captain just shook his head and clapped the older man on the shoulder. "Just relax a little, I do know how to behave myself and it wouldn't hurt you to loosen up. Who knows, maybe your pessimistic self could enjoy it?" he joked. "If you excuse me now, I've got captainy things to do," Jim told him with a wink and walked over to one of the local ministers, who waved at him.

Bones watched him vanishing into the masses and sighed. It wasn't his fault he had a nagging feeling and in his defense, he usually got proven right when he felt something bad would happen.

He emptied his soda and ordered another one, looking around to find some familar faces. He could see Scotty there dancing with Keenser and the other engineers from his departement and had to stiffle a laugh at the wild dancing style. Over to his right at the end of the bar, he could see Lieutenant Nyota Uhura sitting there, sipping on a drink while a young Pharren tried to engage her into a conversation. She made eye contact with him and smiled encouragingly.

Nyota and he had always gotten along well. They shared the same no-bullshit attitude and dark sense of humour. Smiling he made his way over to her.

"Hey Nyota, who's your friend over there?" he asked her cheerfully, eyeing the clearly interested Pharren to her left.

"My Name's Preens grov' tzul but you can call me Preens if you like. I see you're one of Miss Uhura's friends?" the young Pharren introduced himself with just a little accent tinging his voice and offered a hand.

McCoy took it politely. "Nice to meet you, I'm Leonard McCoy and yes I am. We work on the same ship," he offered and sat down in front of them.

"Ah marvelous, I was just telling Miss Uhura what a wonderful complexion she has," he said while looking at her dreamily and the doctor raised his eyebrows.

"Careful there young sport, you wouldn't want to find yourself getting nerve-pinched," he warned him, which made Nyota snort amused.

"It's alright, Leonard. He knows I'm taken. Why don't you try one of the Bashees? Preens has made them himself," she asked and offered him one of the small brown balls lying there in a box. Bashees were compact fruit balls and a local speciality. They had them at the celebration dinner and they really were delicious.

"Sure, thank you," McCoy said and plopped one into his mouth. "Wow, they're really tasty Preens," he complimented.

"Oh I'm glad, they're a speciality of mine. I like to add just a little bit of local herbs to them for extra flavour. You know, Bashee means joy ball in our language, they're a popular dessert in our world," he informed them and Nyota listened with interest as he began to explain some of the national specialities.

It was some time later, the box now empty, when a small group of Pharrens called over to them. "Oh I have to go to my friends now. It was a pleasure," Preens told them as he bowed down a little and went over to the others.

"What a quirky guy," McCoy observed amused and Nyota snorted.

"He was a bit over-enthusiastic but yes, generally a nice guy," Nyota agreed and smiled at the doctor. "Do you enjoy yourself, Leonard?" she asked him with a smile.

"In your company, always. I just hope for a quiet night, you know?" he asked her and she chuckled. 

"One can only hope with our crew," she dead-panned and stretched her arms. They each ordered a cola and began sipping it when a thought hit him.

"Where have you left your Vulcan half?" the doctor questioned and turned in his seat to take a look around. 

"Oh last time I've seen him, he was in the lounge area, in a deep conversation about the origin of Planina Yas' lakes with one of the Pharren council members," she told him and snorted while McCoy shook his head.

"And here I thought he would hit the dancefloor with you," he joked and Nyota threw him a look.

"Very funny. Although, I wouldn't mind a little dancing, you know," she admitted and began to sway in her seat to the music. Closing her eyes she began to sing to the current song.

McCoy knit his eyebrows at the sight of his singing friend, wondering how many drinks she already had had. Throwing a look around he could see that Chekov had joined the dancing engineers on the floor, shaking with gusto himself. He couldn't help himself, he broke out laughing and Nyota's eyes snapped open.

"What?" the dark woman demanded and moved to look behind the doctor. When she saw her dancing shipmates, she broke out laughing too. "Oh my god, what's that? What are they doing?" she laughed and cooed when she saw the dancing navigator. "Aww, look at him. Sometimes I just want to ruffle his hair and tuck him in a blanket, you know what I mean?" she asked the doctor with her big brown eyes.

McCoy blinked at that and glanced at the Russian once more, his eyes softening. "Yeah I know, he's so young and brave. A brave little Russian," he agreed heartfelt and Nyota nodded approvingly. 

"You understand me, Leonard. Now excuse me, this Lady needs to go to the toilet," she proclaimed loftily and hopped from her seat. 

The doctor watched her swaying into the direction of the restrooms and smiled. She was certainly in a good mood. Maybe they could join the others too when she comes back? McCoy was certainly feeling good himself. Almost feeling kind of dizzy but in a good way. Looking down in his glass, he took out an ice cube and placed it on the countertop of the bar, moving it around with a finger.

"There, done," he exclaimed proudly to no one in particular after he had finished drawing the outline of the Enterpise with the melting cube. A look around told him his female shipmate hadn't returned yet and he stood up. 'Let's look for her,' he smiled to himself and made his way through the dancing people on the floor.

"Oi laddie, where have ya been?" boomed a loud voice to his right and McCoy turned around. It took him a moment to realise it was his chief engineer talking to him. Behind him the others waved and grinned at him. Had Scotty's head always been this round? He had never noticed before.

"Doc?" Scotty asked confused when the other man failed to answer. Raising a hand, McCoy patted the top of Scotty's head and grinned.

"You have a perfectly round shape, very good Mr. Scott," he complimented and let his hand fall back to his side. "I have to go now, gentlemen," he nodded at his shipmates and turned on his heel, leaving the Scottish man gaping after him.

When he left the loud dancefloor area he found himself standing in the lowlit hallway of the restrooms. There was no sight of the female lieutenant and he began strolling along the hallway. The dim red lights were soothing for the eyes and he could appreciate that. 

Turning at the next corner, McCoy saw Nyota standing in front of an artwork made out of small blinking lights. "Nyota, what are you doing?" he asked as he moved to stand beside her.

She cast him a short glance and looked back at the blinking picture. "Isn't it fascinating?" she asked the man in awe.

"Huh?" McCoy inquired while looking at the blinking spots himself.

She raised a delicate finger and began tracing it along the blinking dots, "Look, if you connect those four you can see the Great Square of Pegasus." 

"Wow, you're right," he breathed and looked closer at the lights, his eyes widening. "I swear, this is exactly how the night sky looks in Georgia, wow. See," he informed her and began to connect dots himself, "that's the Great Bear. I used to see him every summer night from our porch." Spellbound, Nyota nodded and kept on watching the doctor's finger.

"And you know what that is?" the doctor asked her after he connected three dots to a triangle.

"Uh.. I know that one! Deneb, Wega and Altair?" she guessed excitedly and he began to giggle.

"No, it's Spock's ear," he exclaimed gleefully and broke out laughing, his female friend snorting and joining in.

A group of Pharren turned the corner and frowned at the two snickering humans. Passing them, they mumbled about strange behaviour and climbed the stairs.

"Puh, I'm done," Nyota breathed, slowly calming down and wiping some sweat off her forehead. McCoy also calmed down but was still smiling, obviously amused with himself.

She rolled up the long sleeves of her dress and looked around. "Ugh, it's really stuffy inside of here," she complained.

Wiping some sweat of his forehead as well, McCoy agreed and glanced at the stairs leading down to the front entrance. "How 'bout we get some fresh air outside?" he slurred.

"Oh yes, great idea," she agreed and together they staggered downstairs to the entrance. Passing through, they nodded awkwardly at the security guards and rested their arms on the stone wall of the club's patio.

Before them rested the wide expanse of Ulu Lake, the largest lake near the metropol. The Pharren adored it for its clear water and diverse fauna. Blinking stars reflected on the surface and created a picturesque scene.

The two friends glanced at the water and let the mild wind cool their sweaty heads. Beside him he could hear Nyota deeply breathing in the crisp night air. "This is stunning," she appreciated with a quiet voice and McCoy had to agree. "It really is breathtaking," he added, at ease with the world.

They stood there for some time, enjoying the scenery in silence, when something at the lake bank caught the woman's eye. She grabbed the arm of the man beside her urgently and pointed with her other hand to the lakeside. "Leonard, you see that?" she demanded excitedly. 

Squinting in the distance, McCoy could make out a dark form resting at the shore. "Is that a boat?" he wondered.

"Yes! It's a boat," she confirmed joyfully. "Come on, let's go," she urged him, pulling on his arm and together they went down the white ebony stairs to the path leading to the lake.

Inside the club, James T. Kirk was congratulating himself for this succesful evening. Pharren's council head was thrilled with him and looked forward to further cooperations, the location was awesome and his crew had a fun time. It couldn't be better. 'Pff, Bones is such a worrier,' he thought to himself as he came to a halt at the main bar, looking around and wondering where his grumpy friend was.

"Ah Jim," a voice greeted from behind and he turned around to see his Vulcan officer standing there. "I observe you're having a good time?" Spock asked him with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Oh yes, Spock. I'm glad everything went smoothly. You found some enjoyment yourself?" he questioned his friend carefully. He had worried Spock may feel out of place in this loud and crowded environment but to his relief, the officer gave a short nod.

"Indeed. The lounge area was very comfortable and I was conversing with one of the council's researchers. Quite fascinating," he concluded distracted and turned his head to look around. "I was actually just trying to locate Lieutenant Uhura but have failed to do so thus far," he explained with just a bit of frustration hiding in his voice.

Jim drew his eyebrows together at that. "Oh okay, I was just looking for Bones as well. Dunno where he's hiding," he joked but threw a searching look into the mass of people.

Outside on the patio, Montgomery Scott was looking around as well. He already had run around the whole club in search for one Leonard McCoy. There was no doubt that Scotty himself appreciated some extensive partying but the good doctor seemed strangely out of it, not at all in-character with his usual self. He had decided to look for him and moved outside after the search inside had proved itself fruitless.

He stepped up to the stone wall, were the ground lead to the near lake in a light drop. Holding a hand over his eyes, he let his gaze wander around the dark terrain and felt his jaw drop when he saw two figures sitting in a small boat, drifting in the water near the shore. With a start he could make out the forms of his two shipmates. "The hell they doin'?" he wondered aloud. He shook his head bewildered and quickly made his way back inside.

"It is quite odd that the others haven't seen them as well," Spock observed after Jim and he looked for them together.

"Yes and I don't get were they could have vanished to," the blonde exclaimed frustrated and wiped a hand over his forehead. "Oh look, it's Scotty," he noticed as the older engineer rushed into their direction with a quick pace. 

When he came to a halt in front of them, Jim adressed his officer. "Hey Scotty, you haven't seen Bones or Lieutenant Uhura perhaps?" he asked him hopefully and Scotty took a moment to calm his heavy breathing.

"Aye captain, looks like they decided ta take a quick trip out on the lake," he breathed out. 

"They what?" Jim demanded confused, surely he must have heard wrong.

"Aye, I tell ya, they're on a boat drifting in the waters," he emphasized and threw a thumb into the direction of the entrance.

Throwing a disbelieving look to his friend, he could see the Vulcan's eyebrows skyrocket. The Scottish man turned around and urged them to follow him. "What the hell," the blonde murmered as he followed, with Spock close on his heels.

Meanwhile, McCoy and Nyota were sitting on each end of the boat without a care in the world. After the excitement of getting the boat out on the water, they both were exhaustedly leaning back and enjoying the swaying of the small vessel.

"You know, with the waves moving us like that, it almosts feels like a cradle," Nyota purred relaxed with her eyes closed and head resting on the back.

"Mhm," McCoy agreed and let his eyes lazily wander around the stars above.

"You really did a good job of getting us out on the water. You make a good captain," she observed and let one hand dangle down to draw small circles in the water.

He had to snort a little at that. "I loved to go sailing when I was younger," he told her and shook his head amused. "But I'd never want to be a captain. Too much responsibilty. Jim can take care of that."

Nyota made a small voice of confirmation. "Mhm, he may be an arrogant ass but he's a fine captain," she agreed in a small voice. Not that she would ever tell him that directly to his face.

"The only one I trust with that position," were the heartfelt words which left his mouth. He sighed contently and tried to discern Ursa Major up above in the foreign constellations.

The peacefulness of the moment was broken when they heard a commotion happening at the shore and people raising their voices. Nyota opened her eyes and looked at the three figures waving and calling for them. "Oh look, it's Spock, Scotty und Jim," she observed with mild interest.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," the doctor joked drily and Nyota let out a tired chuckle in response. "Better head back," he suggested, turning on the engine and lazily steering them back to the shoreline.

"They're heading back to the shore," Spock observed, his lips tightly pressed together. 

"Thank god for that," the captain offered sarcastically. He thought he was dreaming when he first saw his two friends out there on the water. What the hell has gotten into them?

"To his defense, I dunno why but the good doctor wasn't himself before, ya know?" Scotty told the other two, watching as the boat came closer.

"What do you mean?" Jim asked Scotty with some worry while Spock looked at him questioningly.

"See for yaself," he told them and winced when the boat hit the shore less than gently. The three men strode over to the pair hopping out of the boat.

"Alright you two, you have some explaining to do! What got into you? Stealing a boat and heading out in the middle of the night," he demanded incrediously, tightly grabbing the upper arm of his best friend and looking at his face searchingly. He felt his own eyes widen at the state of the dilated pupils he saw there.

"Ugh Jim, could you lower your voice a bit," the doctor complained.

"Besides, don't worry, we never intended to keep the boat," Nyota cut in in a small voice, standing beside Spock, who supported her at the elbow and was looking into her face with some worry.

Jim was speechless as he was glancing between the two. "Are you drugged?" he finally asked disbelievingly.

"What! I would never do that," McCoy exclaimed indignantly, moving to free himself from his friend's grip but Jim held on tightly. Meanwhile Nyota began shaking her head vehemently.

"I know you would never," he assured his friend gently, "I just want to know what happened to you both."

Scotty looked at his his friends in concern while Spock grabbed both of Nyota's shoulders in his hands. "Nyota, are you feeling alright?" he asked her gently and she nodded her head sluggishly.

"Mhm, am okay, just a little tired," she smiled at him and promptly sacked into herself. Spock caught her in his arms with wide eyes. "Jim," he called alarmed.

"I got it," Scotty assured him and urgently reached for his communicator.

McCoy had watched his friend go down with tired eyes and looked into the worried face of his friend. "M'sorry Jim, I might black out on ya," he murmered and felt his consciousness waning away. Jim quickly grabbed his other arm and everything went black.

On the next morning, the slow dripping sound of two infusions filled the quiet air of sickbay. Opening his eyes, McCoy squinted against the brightness. "Ugh, my head," he moaned. From beside him he heard a sarcastic snort and turned over, where the sight of a pale Nyota Uhura greeted him. She was watching him with tired eyes from her position on the bed.

"What happened last night?" she asked him perplexed and shook her head slowly.

"I don't know," the doctor confessed, "but I'd love to know as well. I feel like absolute shit." Figuring by the grunt from his left, the female shared this sentiment as well.

"I need a coffee. A strong one," Nyota informed him and he chuckled tiredly. Looking at the chrono he startled when he saw it was already after 11am.

Just a moment later Jim entered the room and felt relief rushing through him at the sight of his two friends awake and well. "Ahem," he cleared his throat and the two startled at the sight of their captain. He grinned gleefully and moved to sit down at the end of Bones' bed.

Seeing the cheerful look on his friends face, the older man warned, "Don't even say it, Jim." 

But Jim was just getting started. "You know, when I told you to loosen up, this isn't what I had in mind," he informed him with a grin, indicating with both arms at the room and Bones groaned. Nyota just looked into her lap sheepishly.

McCoy watched annoyed as Jim grabbed his bed chart, flicking through it lazily. As if the little shit could read it.

"They ran a blood test on you both and we were suprised when it showed high doses of an alkaloid found in local herbs. Those plants are quite popular in the local cuisine, but it seems like they have an amphetamine-like effect on the human body. So basically, you've drugged yourselves," the blonde finished amused.

"The Bashees," Nyota breathed out, closing her eyes and McCoy cursed under his breath. 

Jim raised one eyebrow. "The what?" he asked them puzzled.

"Bashees. We got some offered by a young Pharren. He told us he made them himself and added some herbs for extra spice," she told her captain in dismay, feeling sorry for herself.

"And this after all those times of you telling me to watch out for what I'm eating," the blonde mocked and shook his head. 

"Shut it, Jim," the doctor warned, rolling his eyes miserably. He would never hear the end of this.

It seemed like Jim was done for now and he looked at the two softly. "Be that as it may, the important thing is you're both alright now. You gave us quite the scare when you collapsed, even Spock was uneasy. Speaking of-," he cut himself off and looked at the female lieutenant. "I'll better inform him that you're awake," he told her and she smiled at him gratefully.

Turning his gaze back to the man on the bed, he laid a reassuring hand on his friend's knee. "And trust me, Bones. Next time I'll keep out a closer eye on you," he promised, only half-jokingly and ignored the names he was called in response with a smile.


	7. Forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lesson in remorse: in which the captain and the doctor have to learn to find their balance in their respective roles on the ship.
> 
> Set between the first and second movie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi fellow-readers,
> 
> This time we see the other side of friendships, because sometimes you just get annoyed by certain character traits. But also what it means to let your remorse show.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

VII. Forgiveness

A heavy sigh escaped the doctor's lips as his eyes roamed over the patient record of Ensign Perry. Vision loss in both eyes by forty percent, a ruptured right tympanom, possible inner ear damage and second degree burns on his right shoulder. Honestly, why do they care instructing engineers safety measures if they ultimately fail to apply them? Sometimes he felt like he worked with a bunch of suicidal idiots.

Speaking of- the prime example of said bunch was the current cause of McCoy's recurring headaches. Looking over the blood work of the captain, he had been dismayed to identify some lingering signs of infection. In short, his morning had already been up to a great start. 

The sound of his office's door hissing open made him raise his head and he was greeted with the unhappy figure of his best friend. Jim gave a short nod in greeting and sat down in front of him. He still looked a bit too pale for the doctor's liking but he was glad to see him walking around again.

"What owes me the honor of a voluntarily visit to sickbay, Jim?" McCoy asked sarcastically and shut off his PADD.

"You know, desperate times and so on," the young man joked and continued more seriously while indicating to his own PADD, "Bones, I think there was a mistake- my status got changed to 'temporary not fit for active duty'. I think the system messed it up." There had to be something wrong here, he was cleared for duty just yesterday. 

The doctor gave a minute shake of his head and steeled himself innerly for the discussion he felt coming. "There was no mistake. I changed your status after I took a look at the lab results this morning. There are still clear signs of infection in your blood system, I'm sorry Jim." 

There was a short moment of silence as the younger man's eyes widened at the doctor's admission. "You what?" was the disbelieving reply.

A sigh. "You heard me.. Jim, you had a serious strep infection with a peritonsillar abscess. You recovered well and I'm really grateful for that but there are still traces of that bacteria in your body. And I can't give you clearance in good conscience as long as that's the case," he explained emphatically. He knew his friend was looking forward to the official reception on Andoria this evening, and he felt sorry, but he couldn't risk it.

Any hope of understanding on his captain's front was vanishing when he saw him leaning forward in irritation. "But you said I wasn't infectious anymore!" 

"You aren't, but that's not the issue here. Your throat has healed but the bacteria left could still lead to myocardial complications if you strain yourself." Damn, McCoy could feel his headache returning.

"Which I won't. I just want to attend the welcoming event," Jim argued annoyed. 

"You know, three hundred years ago the therapy for such cases was strictly staying in bed for at least ten days- and the only distraction back then were books, so you should consider yourself lucky. You can still work here on the ship and Spock can take care of the reception," the doctor told him, getting annoyed himself with the increasing pounding of his head.

Consider yourself lucky? The blonde gave a sarcastic laugh at that. "I don't know if you've noticed but this isn't the 20th century anymore. And I don't plan to strain myself, it's just a simple meet and greet."

He supressed the urge to knock his head on the table at the stubbornness in front of him. "Past events would beg to differ," McCoy dead-panned and he carried on in a serious voice, "listen Jim, I don't want to argue about this. I am your CMO and as such I have to tell you, you're not fit for this and that's final. I don't go around telling you how to run your departement." 

That made the young captain rise from his seat with an indignant headshake while indicating with a raised hand at the man before him. "Do you even listen to yourself? That's all you do! You always tell me 'don't do this, don't do that. Don't act like a reckless child'. What's that if not telling me how to act as a captain?" Jim demanded upset. He could not believe this.

McCoy blinked suprised at the harsh accusations and stood up to level him with a glare himself. "Well, maybe if you wouldn't act like a reckless idiot I wouldn't have to tell you so!"

"You're a damn hypocrite. And I never asked for you to patronize me. Or to treat me like a mindless kid. Or to let your frustrations out on me. I know how to behave as an adult and I wish you could find it in yourself to treat me as such," Jim retorted angrily with balled fists. He stood there, breathing heavily after his outburst and looked at the doctor in anticipation of his verbal counter.

The older man could feel his heart beating faster in his angered state and was about to give a heated reply when he deflated. He took in the raging form of the younger man and suddenly felt old. "Say what you want, I stay by my decision," he stated in a tired voice with a raised palm to stall further arguments.

Jim himself could feel the raging energy leaving his body and he shook his head once more in irritation. "Alright, I won't be going then if that makes you happy," he declared moodily and turned to the door.

"Yes, I'm absolutely thrilled," the doctor called after the vanishing captain in a sarcastic voice and threw himself heavily back in his chair. Putting his pounding head in his hands he groaned. 'Well done Leonard, way to go upsetting your sick friend,' he thought miserably.

Meanwhile Jim marched down the hallway with angry steps, still fuming about the whole incident. A small part of him already began to regret the way he lashed out at his CMO. An even bigger part of him was still feeling rightfully furious, though. In a way he knew that the pent-up frustration of becoming sick once more had been nagging at him the last days and the outburst was a combination of that and the disappointment of not being able to go down to Andoria. Still, why wouldn't Bones just back off a little? He felt like he was treated like the infant he so often got called by the doctor.

Another thing was, as Jim brooded, that he had to find out by an update on his PADD. Couldn't he at least talk with Jim beforehand in private? It irked him and he huffed an annoyed breath through his nose. 'Well, better talk it through with Spock,' he sighed inwardly and trailed to the bridge to discuss today's evening with his Vulcan friend.

On the following day, Jim found himself on his way to the mess. He was beyond relieved that the reception went over board as smoothly as it did. Mr. Spock had been competent and the Andorian council was, although initially put down by the captain's absence, thrilled about his first officer. Not that he was ever worried about Spock's competence, it was just- he should have been down there, he thought somberly.

At the same time, McCoy already entered the mess hall and took in all his colleagues, eating and chatting cheerfully with each other and grimaced. He wasn't like Jim, who when in a fight kept on socialising with everyone and threw around his shit-eating grin. No, he was the person who rather withdraws from everyone to brood in silence. Deciding for a soup, he took his tray into a far corner of the hall and sat down to eat there.

This morning, Jim has met him for another blood test and the positive thing was that his results looked a lot better. Whereas the mood, icy would have been a nice word to describe the atmosphere then. 'At least we weren't lashing out at each other again,' he thought cynically and with that pushed the topic to the back of his mind. Taking out his PADD, the doctor flew over the details of Ensign Perry's chart again, grumbling under his breath about methods to restore the unfortunate man's vision and hearing.

At the other end of the room, Jim stepped into the full mess hall and cast a glance around. Ah there, to his right Spock was sitting with two men of his science departement. He grabbed a full tray and made his way over to his Vulcan officer.

"Gentleman," the captain nodded and sat down in front of the three, who offered their greetings in return.

"Jim, I observe you're feeling better already?" the Vulcan inquired and set down his spoon.

"Oh yes, yeah I'm alright, thanks. And I wanted to thank you for doing such a great job last night at the reception, Spock," came the honest reply by the captain and the two others agreed with him. He hadn't had the time to offer his gratitude yet.

The Vulcan gave a short nod of his head. "I accept your words but there is no need. I met my responsibility as first officer and as such, was glad to observe the positive response of the Andorians." Despite the words, Jim could swear he heard something like pride in his friend's voice.

Jim took a big spoonful of potato salad into his mouth. "I for one am grateful," he stated between mouthfulls.

Raising his eyebrow in slight disgust at the way his captain made his way about eating, Spock nodded at his words. "You can of course offer the council your gratitude in person," he added.

Oh yes, the Andorian council invited them to a public dinner the next day. "You're right and it looks like I'll be back for active duty by tomorrow," Jim informed him. Bones has told him as much. At least one positive thing since the mood between them two was still tense. He heaved a sigh and kept on eating with much less gusto.

Spock observed the unusual quietness of the man before him. He couldn't help but notice how the captain and CMO each have been acting tense in their company the day before. While glancing around, he spotted the doctor sitting by himself in a corner reading his PADD. He frowned.

"I do not mean to invade your privacy or to intrude into matters out of my depth-," he began carefully and noted how the blonde raised his eyebrow quizzically, so he carried on, "I could not help but notice a slight discrepancy in your and Doctor McCoy's behavior and I was wondering if something may has happened?"

Jim cringed inwardly. 'God, was their little fallout so obvious that even Spock could see it? Great,' he thought dismayed and noticed Spock glancing over his shoulder. Turning in his seat, he was suprised to see Bones sitting there all alone in one corner of the hall. He definitely began feeling guilty now, he hadn't seen him when he entered the room. He turned back to address the Vulcan. 

"Doctor McCoy and I had a small disagreememt but it's fine, Spock," he assured him and went back to stabbing his food on the plate. Seeing his captain closing that particular topic, Spock went back to his food as well. "I see," he concluded unconvinced.

Across the hall, McCoy was still contemplating the young ensign's procedure. Regenerating tissue like those of the tympanom and the cornea was quite tricky. If he worked quickly, he could restore them both in one session, ideally. He just hoped both retinae as well as his right cochlea were unscathed. Ensign Perry's status was stable after they took care of the burnt shoulder, that was reassuring at least. McCoy took one thumb to his mouth, thinking about his staff. Deciding for Nurse Uymaz to assist him, he booked OR I for the evening and stood up.

As he began his way across the hall to sickbay, he saw Jim sitting there with his pointy-eared officer and felt a short pang at the sight. It always weighed heavily on him when they had a disagreement. Of course it wasn't the first time, they often enough bickered and fought with each other, but just as quickly as their temperament got the better of the them, as quickly they were back on good terms again, too.

Being on the same ship together with Jim in direct command made things more difficult. Not least because they were always surrounded by other people and enough workload for days. Deciding to take care of things later, McCoy put on a determined face and strode along to his medbay.

In the corner of his eye, Jim could see Bones rushing out of the hall. By now the anger had passed and what was left was a mixture of regret and uneasiness. It hadn't been fair to accuse his friend of all the things he told him, at least not in the way he had done the day before. He could see that now, admitting his remorse was another story though. Deciding to take care of things later on, he stood up before his Vulcan friend could adress this topic again. 

"Gentleman, I'll leave you to yourself now. I will return to my quarters if you need me," he told his crewmates and made to go.

"Noticed Jim, take care," Spock told him with a knowing look in his eyes and the other men bid their farewell.

Some hours had passed when Jim entered the medbay again. He had spent enough time contemplating how to get on good terms with the doctor again and decided to just get it over with.

"Ah Nurse Kaya, good evening, you haven't seen Doctor McCoy, have you?" he addressed the petite blonde nurse with a smile. She was just in the act of organizing some instruments and halted the process when the captain spoke to her.

"Good evening, Sir. Yes, Doctor McCoy is still in the operating room working on Ensign Perry. Is it an urgent matter?" she asked concerned and took off her gloves.

After throwing one look around, Jim shook his head. "No not at all. Do you perhaps know when he'll be finished?"

"I'm afraid not. Depending on how well Perry responds it could take another hour or so," she informed him and saw a flash of disappointment on his face.

"Oh well, alright. Then I'll go for now," was the hesistant reply. So much for his plan to appease his friend.

The young nurse took in the troubled look of the captain with a frown. "I could of course inform you as soon as the operation finishes?" she offered, which resulted in him giving a small smile.

"That would be very kind, thank you." He might as well wait another hour. Nurse Kaya gave him a smile as well and he made his way back to his quarters.

She watched the retreating back of her captain and gave a small sigh. There was no doubt that she adored her CMO but today he's been even grumpier than usual and that says a lot. Whatever was going on with her boss, she really hoped the captain would take care of it.

Some hours later and McCoy was officialy done with his day. The surgery went as well as he could have hoped and the young ensign was lying unconscious on one of the biobeds with his vision and hearing restored. To what extent would be shown after they took some tests tomorrow.

Standing in front of the young patient, the doctor turned his head from side to side to loosen up some his offended neck muscles and groaned when his vertebrae cracked in protest. It had been a long day. Actually two long days.

"I take it the surgery was a success?" a quiet voice inquired from behind the older man and he jumped in suprise.

"Damn, don't sneak up on me like that, Jim! Way to scare an unsuspecting fellow," he reprimanded after he turned and saw his best friend staying there in the doorway.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Jim muttered apologetically with a small smile and strode over to stand beside the doctor. He glanced down on his injured crewmate with serious eyes. "How is he?"

Letting out a sigh, Bones put the chart back on its place on the bed rail. "We were worried that his eyes and inner ear were damaged in a way beyond regeneration. Thankfully they weren't and knock on wood, he should have his sight and hearing back, hopefully fully restored. He was very lucky."

Hearing those news made Jim breath out in relief. "Of course he was lucky, he had you as his doctor," he murmered in agreement while casting a shy glance to his right. He was beyond relieved when he could spot a tired smile spread on his best friend's face at his words.

The blonde took his eyes back to the man lying in front of them. Sensing now was as good a time as any, he cleared his throat sligthly. "I'm sorry," he said simply.

Bones blinked and turned to look at his friend, who met his eyes just as seriously and continued. 

"I'm sorry I lashed out on you and for what I said. It was harsh and for that I'm sorry. And I shouldn't have blamed you for your decision, you were just doing your job," he finished and instantly felt a weight falling down from his chest.

As he explained himself, Bones began shaking his head slowly. "It's alright, Jim. I'm sorry too, you know. I should have discussed it with you in person instead of changing it like that without your notice. And I know I am a nagging bastard, I know that-"

"That's not exactly the word I would use," Jim interrupted slightly amused and the older man grinned in a self-deprecating manner.

"No, it's alright. I thought about it and you're right, more often than not I tell you what to do and to watch out for yourself. I get that it can be a little too much," he admitted in a small voice.

"Bones-," the young man cut in conflicted and looked down once more. "Yes, you do that but I know you just want the best for me and for what it's worth, it's nice to know someone cares for me like that." And he meant it. Yes, he often got annoyed by his over-protective friend but deep down he always felt the care hidden behind those gruff words.

They did not often have a heart-to-heart like this, especially if there wasn't any alcohol involved. So when it happened, it made both feel just a little bit awkward. The doctor acknowledged his friend's words with a nod and traced a mindless hand along the biobed in front of him.

"Are we good?" Jim asked finally while glancing at his friend.

"Of course, you dumbass," Bones assured him with a smile and the blonde chuckled at the well-known gruffness. All was well again in his world.

"Great. We better meet Spock then and talk together about the beam-down tomorrow. He'll be happy to see us, I began to fear he would sign us up for couple therapy," he said jokingly and made his way to the door while the doctor's eyebrows shot upwards.

"He what?" Bones inquired confused.

"Ah nevermind. Come on, we still have to plan for tomorrow's dinner," the blonde called over his shoulder and Bones strolled along.

"Speaking of, don't forget to take your antihistamine hypo with you. I wouldn't be suprised if your sorry immune system refuses to handle their food," the doctor called after him and Jim sighed.  
Only this time, he did so fondly.


	8. Being there

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Attention: misunderstanding incoming  
> Just some sweet nonsense onboard the Enterprise.
> 
> Set between the first and second movie on USS Enterprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone,  
> This is my second to last chapter and I really enjoyed writing it (I love me some miscommunication)
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

VIII. Being there 

"Captain's log, stardate 2258.226, USS Enterprise has entered the Wigga asteroid belt 2.5 hours ago and began its scanning. Today morning we decided for our stellar science team to beam down on the biggest asteroid WY788 to observe its structure. Lieutenant Abbar will lead the team. Beam down has been scheduled for tomorrow 1100 hours. Further plans will be discussed in the morning meeting. Captain out."

James T. Kirk swirled in his captain chair and let his eyes roam around his shipmates on the bridge. Honestly, asteroid cartography wasn't one of the most exciting tasks he could wish for but he was still glad this mission had been handed to him. Figuring by the relaxed faces he took in, his people too enjoyed this more mundane mission as a welcome change. 

A shwoosh from the turbolift's door made the young blonde lean his head back just as his Vulcan officer entered the bridge.

"Ah Mister Spock, I see you've already returned from your physical exam," he observed with a gleeful smile. He knew by now his Vulcan friend shared the same antipathy he did concerning physicals.

A delicate eyebrow found its way creeping up; Vulcan or not, he could sense the schadenfreude radiating from the smiling human. "Indeed, Captain. As second in command it is my duty to set an example at taking crew physicals seriously," came the dry reply as Spock let himself down while casting a meaningful look at his captain. 

"Of course, Mister Spock," the other man agreed amused; a short giggle from Chekov sounding from the far corner of the bridge.

The chime of an incoming call broke the moment and the blonde pressed down on his seat to answer it. 

"Medbay to bridge," came the request from their CMO.

"Captain Kirk speaking."

"Ah just the man I was looking for. Captain, I need you to come down for your physical and you better do so this time," the no-bullshit voice of the doctor came through the line.

A second passed in which Jim allowed himself to groan innerly. He was hoping to stall for some more time. Glancing to the side, he could swear he saw a pleased glint in the Vulcan's eyes. Lieutenant Uhura wasn't even subtle about it with her gloatful grin directed at him.

"Understood. I'll be down shortly," he assured his friend and cut the line. 

"Anything funny you want to share, Lieutenant Uhura?" he challenged his linguistic expert with raised eyebrows as he rose from his seat.

"Not at all, Captain," she replied sweetly and another snicker could be heard from the young Russian. He sighed. What ever happened to his authority? 

"Spock, you have the conn. I'll be back shortly." At least he hoped so. There were few things he despised as much as crew physicals but he'd also learned from the past; putting off an angry McCoy wasn't something he was daring to risk again.

"Understood, Captain," he was assured and with those words he left the bridge to enter the lift down to sickbay.

A few minutes have passed and Jim found himself reluctantly entering medbay. Bones was already standing there, a PADD in his hand, waiting for him. As he saw the captain nearing, he widened his eyes comically.

"Well would you look at that, you've managed to come down here all by yourself and-," he glanced down on his wrist watch dramatically, "it didn't took you hours to do so. I'm blown away."

"Ha-ha, funny Bones. Let's just get this over with," the young man sighed and the doctor rolled his eyes.

"You know, I'm not gonna torture you, Jim," he reprimanded and lead the way to one of the exam rooms.

"U-huh," was the lackluster reply as Jim hopped onto the exam table, eager to get out of here again.

Suprisingly, it only took them a short time to finish the checkup and the captain was already dressing up again.

"Looks like everything is alright. I've got one more hypo against Carcullian fever for you and then you're outta here," Bones promised as he put down his tricoder.

"Bones-," Jim whined pleadingly.

"Cut that, you're not a toddler, Jim. And if you don't wanna have raging fevers with cerebral seizures-" 

A short knock interrupted what promised to be a once again too detailed lecture about diseases and the head of Nurse Uymaz poked through the door.

"Ahm, I'm sorry Doctor McCoy, patient Masters told me he doesn't need the antibiotic hypo today since he took the double dosage yesterday-" he explained and trailed off when he saw the expression on his boss' face.

"He what?" McCoy requested dismayed and threw his gloves in the nearest bin. "Wait a minute, I'll come with you," he exclaimed and turned back to point one finger at Jim. "You stay here," he ordered sternly and left the room, mumbling under his breath about idiotic patients.

Jim huffed an amused breath at his disgruntled friend and hopped down from the table again. He cast a glance around the exam room, taking in diverse instruments and machines. Circling the doctor's table he looked down on the many papers his friend had carried with him. 

He was about to turn back when one in particular caught his interest. It was a printed message, hidden under some more papers. What caught his interest was that it came from Doctor Sullivan, a leading and popular doctor of the admirality. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that the door was still closed. With two fingers he slid it out from underneath the other sheets and began to read:

"To: Dr. Leonard H. McCoy  
From: Dr. Dr. Allan R. Sullivan, PhD  
Subject: polyclinic central station- support

Dear Leonard,

I am overjoyed to hear you will assist us in this project. The Polyclinc Central Station will grow to be the crucial element of Starfleet's space health providance. While the station is built with the newest equipement the market has to offer, the key element are still the people who keep the station going. Our people need to work lege artis and have to be just the best of the best. With your support I can see that happening. I would like to offer my gratitude in advance and will be looking forward to work on this with you together.

I will send you further plans later this week. Until then, yours faithfully,

Allan."

'What the-' Jim thought, uncomprehending what he'd just read. Bones has never told him about this. The date showed the message was two days old. Still, what was this about supporting that space station? Was he planning to leave the Enterprise? He felt a heavy weight settling in his gut, his thoughts swirling in his head. He heard quick footsteps nearing and quickly shoved the letter back from where he had extracted it from, jumping onto the table just as the door opened.

"I tell you, a bunch of idiots the whole of you," the grumpy doctor complained as he re-entered the exam room. He put on a set of gloves and prepared the hypo. "Just a quick stab and then you can go."

Being so lost in thought, Jim didn't even notice as Bones stepped up to him to jab him into the neck. Only the short painful sting made him come to himself again. 

"Ouch Bones! Can't you at least try to apply it more gently?" was the sulky accusation.

"Don't be an infant. You're done for now, go swagger back to the bridge," Bones told him and turned away to pick up his PADD.

"Mhm," he agreed quietly and dragged himself out of the room. The doctor looked up to watch the disheartened retreat of his captain and frowned. 'He'll probably sulk for a while for this hypo,' he thought to himself and shrugged, oblivious to the inner turmoil the younger man left with.

Back on the bridge, Jim sat in his chair with unseeing eyes. With his index finger he tapped mindlessly on his armrest and thought about what he'd just seen. 'Maybe Sullivan was just asking for some advice? But then again, why would he indicate that both of them would work together? Would Bones leave the ship to work with him?'

While biting on his lip he looked up the mentioned space station and frowned at what he read. Appearently it was a Starfleet sponsered health care center planned to go into operation in six months. It was the biggest project of its kind and promised to represent a key health base in outer space. They also implemented a huge research departement with promising funding from the Fleet. Bones would fit in perfectly. Discouraged, he sighed and shut off his PADD.

"Is something on your mind, Captain?" the steady voice of his second officer cut in from his side.

"What?" he inquired confused and saw Spock observing his still tapping finger. Making an effort to control his hand, he cleared his throat. "No, I mean, I'm alright." 

The Vulcan glanced at him suspiciously but refrained from commenting on his nervous behaviour. He sat up a little straigther, folded his hands in his lap and pushed those nagging thougths to the back of his mind. 

The last months have teached him how to act as a captain and now was not the time to let doubts interfere with his duty. With that attitude set, the rest of the afternoon passed in relative quietness and it wasn't too long when Jim and Spock went down to the mess for dinner.

"I quite enjoyed our chess game the other day, Jim," Spock commented as he strode along the hallway with his long legs. 

Jim blinked; he would still be suprised when his Vulcan officer decided to share some impressions of his voluntarily. "Why Spock, I'm honoured you felt something akin to enjoyment in my company," he joked lightly.

The dark-haired officer inclined his head. "Indeed, and even though you have lost, I appreciated the endeavor of yours."

Hearing that made the blonde choke on a laugh. "I sense some pride in your voice when it was only one game. I promise next time you won't be that lucky," he predicted with a playful smile.

Spock decided to ignore the implication his victory had been the work of 'luck' and quirked one corner of his mouth. "Vulcans do not feel pride," he informed the other in a dry voice.

"Of course they don't," Jim mock-agreed and turned the corner to enter the mess hall, only to stop dead when the figure of his best friend approached him.

"Heya Spock and Jim, I was actually looking for you. There's something I wanna discuss with you," the older man began as he closed the distance between them. 

Panic flared up in Jim. 'No, I don't wanna hear it,' shot desperately through his mind. He didn't know how to absorb it if Bones was going to tell him he would leave for a new position. Scotty was sitting to his far right at a table and in his panic induced state he blurted out, "No can do, Bones. I was already planning to go over the warp core maintenance with Scotty. Gotta go." And with that he rushed away to his chief engineer, leaving Spock back with his eyebrows raised and Bones frowning after him. 

"What the hell is wrong with him?" the doctor asked bewildered as he watched the young man all but sprinting away from him.

"He is acting quite oddly today, doctor," the Vulcan stated in rare agreement and both went to grab a tray.

At the other side of the hall, Jim was sitting with Scotty, listening with one ear as he explained some servicing details excitedly. He glanced over to his two friends sitting at a table, eating together in unusual companionship. 'I'm a coward,' he thought miserably and turned back to give the older engineer his whole attention.

It was late in the night when the young restless captain found his way to rec room 7. He'd successfully managed to avoid running into Bones for the rest of the evening, if you could call that success. Because if he wanted to talk with him about his new plans, it would happen sooner or later. There are only so many places he could hide on this ship.

He stood in front of the rec room's massive glass front and let his eyes wander around far away stars and asteroids. For just one moment he allowed himself to step out of his role as captain and to be just Jim, amazed at the endlessness in front of him.

So what if Bones was going to leave the ship? It's not as if they wouldn't see each other again. Granted, they saw each other nearly every day since academy times but they could always stay in touch through messages. Not that it came near a physical Bones just a call away but he guessed it'll have to do. 

He sighed. It was just- he really enjoyed this new-found balance on the ship between him and his two closest friends. Against all odds, Spock and Bones have found a not really friendship but rather an understanding, blossoming in the mutual loyalty to their captain and the on-going banter (which none of the two was enjoying, of course).

Additionally, Bones has been his backup for so long now, he wasn't sure how things would change without him. How he would change. Soft pads of nearing footsteps jolted him out of his musings. When he turned, he wasn't suprised to see his best friend staying there, looking at him expectantly.

"Bones," Jim acknowledged in a soft voice and the other shook his head in slight exasperation.

"You know how long I had to run around this tin can to find you?" he grumbled annoyed and moved to stay beside Jim in front of the glass.

A shrug. "You could have always asked the board computer where I was."

"Sure, I love stalking after my best friend in the middle of the night," he turned to inspect the blonde with analyzing eyes. "What's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?" Jim returned defensively and Bones lifted his right thumb in answer.

"Well first of all, it's 2am and you're sulking here alone in the dark," another finger joined his thumb, "second, you're looking like a kicked puppy and-," another finger, "third and most importantly, you avoided me like the pest the whole day and I would very much like to know why?"

"It's nothing, Bones."

He snorted. "Bullshit. Are you still sulking 'cause of the hypo?"

"What? No, of course not. It's-," Jim trailed off self-aware. Argh, there was no way around it. "I read the letter, okay? The message from Doctor Sullivan, I read it when you went outside the exam room," he blurted out and felt his cheeks turn red.

Bones blinked suprised, he wasn't expecting that. "So you where rummaging through my stuff, Jim?" He definitely felt a jolt of anger rush through him at the confession.

Jim sunk his head at the accusatory tone directed at him. "I'm sorry Bones, my nosiness got the better of me. I shouldn't have done that," he murmered.

"You're damn right, you shouldn't have," the older man agreed reproachfully and took a deep breath through his nose. No need to get riled up, he knew his friend was a nosy brat and he had other concerns right now. He turned around to face his friend fully. "So you've read it, what of it?"

There was a short silence in which the young man let his gaze wander off again to the vast emptiness in front of them. "When where you going to tell me?" a small voice inquired after a minute.

"Actually today before you stormed off to discuss maintanance with Scotty," Bones grunted.

"Oh," Jim commented, feeling stupid.

"Yeah, 'Oh'," the older man mimicked drily. "So what's going on?"

There was a knot forming in his throat but he owed it to his friend to be honest with him. "Don't get me wrong, Bones. I'm happy for you and I know you will fit in. Actually, working on a star base is what you wished for when you started in academy so I guess it's perfect for you. I also read they have research planned and-"

"Wait a minute, what are you talking about?" Bones cut in with hands raised to stall the younger man's babbling. If he wasn't confused before, he sure was by now.

The young blonde turned to him and flopped his hands in a helpless gesture. "I'm sorry, it's just- my best friend leaving the ship is a lot to take in."

Sometimes the doctor wished he could take a look into the admittedly brilliant, but also raving mind of his friend. He shook his head to get rid of his confusion. "Jim, what are you saying? Who said I was going to leave the Enterprise?"

His friend blinked confused. "The letter? Doctor Sullivan said he was looking forward to work with you-"

"Jim, hold your horses. What he meant was, he was looking forward to us working together on the staff organization. I offered them my assistance in the preparation of the team arrangement," the doctor explained in hope to clarify to situation.

Jim was looking rather small right now and when it came apparent he wasn't commenting, Bones carried on, "What I wanted to tell you was, that I will work on this in the near future. I will probably take some extra time planning during my shift and will certainly participate in some long-distance meetings, but that's it."

"Oh, well, that makes sense." And it made sense in hindsight. Bones wouldn't take up any drastic change offer without discussing it with him first. Taking a deep breath, Jim felt equally relieved as he did embarassed. He threw a look around. Was there any escape hatch he could flee through? Still speculating on how to escape more mortification on his part, he looked back when Bones snorted in amusement.

"So you just assumed I would pack my things, call it a day and you panicked? Did I get that right?" the older man inquiered with a smirk.

"I did not panic," he claimed indignantly. "I was just-," he waved a hand in front of him, looking for the right word, "I was just concerned about it changing the crew dynamics."

"The crew dynamics, I see," Bones mock-agreed with a spark in his eyes. "You're right, who would wind up Spock about his logic if not me?"

"Exactly! I'm glad you understand me," Jim praised, relieved his friend decided to ease the situation.

A lot of fuss about nothing. Bones still hasn't met somebody as energetic and pigheaded as Jim, but the side-effect was that the young man sometimes got too lost in his own convictions. When they studied together years ago, he'd learned that his friend fiercly craved attention and someone to stay with him, a friend, and he decided back then he needed one too.

He shook his head in affection and grabbed the mop of blonde hair to ruffle it before Jim could duck out of the way. "You're an idiot," he informed the younger man, who squirmed under his hand.

"Argh Bones, you know I hate that," Jim complained but smiled as he swatted his hand away. "I know I am, let's forget about it. I'm just glad you're staying, old man," was the honest confession as he clapped Bones' shoulder fondly.

"Where else would I be?" Bones asked simply and swiftly grabbed the other by the elbow. "And now enough of this, we'll both need rest and Spock will kill us if we're late for tomorrow's meeting."

"Aye, aye Bones," Jim mock-saluted and with those words they both strolled back towards the turbolift to get some well-deserved rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!  
> Now get ready for the last story in the next chapter :-)


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